Here's our weekly roundup of the new products CNET reviewers liked best.
2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid
Editors' rating: 4 out of 5
The good: Maps in the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid show fully rendered 3D urban centers. The Harman Kardon stereo delivers excellent audio quality. Blind spot detection warns against unsafe lane changes. Massage seats are icing on the cake.
The bad: The hybrid system's start-stop feature runs a little rough. The suspension and power train Sport mode buttons are separate, and placed far apart.
The bottom line: The 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid bundles a wide array of very useful tech, and its hybrid system helps the car avoid the gas guzzler tax.
The good: Clever tower design puts a media card reader on top; quality video playback; virtualized quad-core Intel CPU offers competitive performance for its price; massive 1TB hard drive; plenty of room inside for expansion.
The bad: Lacks wireless networking; competition offers more memory
The bottom line: The Gateway DX4831-01e is the midtower version of the Editors' Choice award-winning SX2840-01 and exhibits equally impressive performance scores while offering ample room for expansion. We recommend this system to budget-minded shoppers who are looking for a powerful, affordable midtower desktop computer.
The good: The Magellan Premium Car Kit keeps your iPhone safely visible and charged while increasing the positioning accuracy of any app that uses GPS. The speakerphone is much louder than the iPhone's internal speaker and the microphone is much clearer. The kit adjusts to accommodate the iPhone and the iPod Touch, with or without a case.
The bad: The Car Kit is a bit pricey for an iPhone accessory that duplicates, but enhances, functions that the iPhone already possess. The joint where the cradle meets the suction-cup mount feels flimsy.
The bottom line: The Magellan Premium Car Kit adds GPS capability to the iPod Touch, making the media player useful for navigation, but the kit's high price tag somewhat limits its value to iPhone users.
The good: Solid design; overflowing with photo, movie features; very fast shooting performance for its class.
The bad: Photo, video quality is weakest part of the package.
The bottom line: There's a lot to like about the Nikon Coolpix P100, but you'll need to keep your photo quality expectations in check to really enjoy it.
The good: Large screen, good speakers, and great keyboard; zippy Core i3 processor.
The bad: Mediocre battery life; boxy and bulky design.
The bottom line: With Intel's new Core i3 processor, the Vaio EB1JFX/B is an affordable big-screen laptop that does many things well without much sacrifice.
